Many elastic tablets are made based on synthetic rubbers with the same compounds used in the manufacture of tires and plastic bags.
Thousands of tons of plastic pollution may be escaping to the environment every year… of our mouth. Most elastic tablets for sale are made of a variety of synthetic rubbers Petroleum based – similar to the plastic material used on car tires.
If you think this idea a little disturbing, it’s not the only one. People are always surprised, and disgusted when they find out that they were chewing a malleable piece of plastic. Most manufacturers do not announce that the elastic tablet is really made -Diserate to detail, mentioning “elastic tablet base” in the ingredients.
There is no rigorous definition of synthetic gum base. The Wrigley Extra elastic padding brand has partnerships with dental medicine professionals around the world to promote the use of elastic tablets Without sugar to improve oral health.
It seems almost harmless. But the elastic tablet contains Stretus-butadiene (The durable synthetic chemist used to manufacture car tires), polyethylene (the plastic used to make bags and bottles) and polyvinyl acetate (wooden glue), as well as some sweeteners and flavorings.
The elastic tablet industry is a big deal, with an estimated value of $ 48.68 billion (£ 37.7 billion). Three companies hold 75% of market sharethe largest of which is Wrigley, with an estimated quota of 35%. There are few reliable statistics available on the amount of elastic tablet produced, but a global estimate reviewed by pairs states that tablets are produced per year.
The most common weight of an individual tablet is 1.4 g – which means that, worldwide, they are produced 2.436 million tons of elastic tablets per year. About one third (30%) of this weight, ie just over 730,000 tons, consists of synthetic elastic tablets.
If the idea of chewing plastic is not disturbing enough, think about what happens after spitting it. Most people have already come across elastic tablets lying out under banks, school desks and streets. But, like other plastics, the synthetic elastic tablet Biodegrada And it may persist in the environment for many years.
In the environment, it hardens, crack and decomposes in microplastics, but this may take decades. Its cleaning is not cheap because it requires a lot of labor. The average cost is 1.50 pounds per square meter And estimates suggest that the annual cost of cleaning pollution caused by the elastic tablet for the municipalities of the UK is about 7 million pounds.
Some efforts have been registered to solve the problem. In many public places in the United Kingdom, elastic tablet collection containers provided by the Dutch company Gumdddddddddrop Ltd were installed collect and recycle the used tablets. The signs provided by municipalities to encourage responsible elimination is now also a regular characteristic in some main streets of the UK, and there are a growing number of small producers who offer plant -based alternatives.
In the United Kingdom, the Keep Britain Tidy Environmental Charity Institution launched Task Force for Elastic Pallets in 2021. This collaboration involves three major manufacturers who committed themselves to Invest up to 10 million pounds To clean “the historical blemishes of elastic tablets and change the behavior so that more people lay the tablets away.”
But this is where the core of the matter lies.
The first goal implies that cleaning elastic tablets is a solution to this form of plastic pollution; it is not. Manufacturers that contribute financially to cleaning efforts are like plastic manufacturers who pay garbage casters and garbage bags in voluntary beaches. Neither addresses the main cause of the problem.
Lying out elastic tablets is not the solution either. Approach elastic tablet as a plastic pollutant said that the prevention of elastic pad pollution should include well -known principles, such as all types of plastics pollution, reduce, reuse, recycle and redesign. This is not just a matter of elimination.
Another question is that of definition. In the two annual reports published by Task Force “Gum Litter” since its inception, there is no mention of the word pollution. THE distinction between waste and pollution is important. By calling it pollution for elastic tablets, the narrative changes from an individual neglect to a business issue. This puts the burden of responsibility in producers rather than consumers.
Single Use Solutions
Like unique plastic articles, elastic pad pollution has to be addressed from all angles – education, reduction, alternatives, innovation, producer responsibility and legislation.
Educate people about the content of the elastic tablet and the environmental consequences of these ingredients will reduce consumption and will encourage better elimination habits. A more transparent labeling on packaging would allow buyers to make informed choices. More rigorous regulation can be responsible for manufacturers – a synthetic tablet tax can help pay cleaning expenses. In turn, this would encourage greater investment in plant -based gums and sustainable alternatives.
We can all reduce the environmental consequences of this plastic pollution, abandoning the habit of elastic tabletsappealing to the municipalities to apply more rigorous sanctions on pollution and encouraging governments to apply a fee to manufacturers to finance cleaning and forcing them to enumerate the contents of the base of elastic tablets.
Down to all non -disposable inorganic products is unsustainable. Elastic pad pollution is just another form of plastics pollution. It is time to start treating it as such.
